AceShowbiz - Andy Samberg made waves on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL), particularly with the viral success of the digital shorts produced alongside his childhood friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone under the group The Lonely Island. Their work breathed new life into the show with hits like "Lazy Sunday," "I'm on a Boat," and the Emmy-winning "Dick in a Box".

However, the relentless schedule of SNL eventually took a severe toll on Samberg's well-being, leading to his decision to leave the show.

During a recent episode of Kevin Hart's Peacock interview series, "Hart to Heart," Samberg opened up about the toll the show had on him. "Physically and emotionally, like I was falling apart in my life," he confessed. The demanding SNL schedule left him sleep-deprived and exhausted.

"We were writing stuff for the live show Tuesday night all night... then being told now come up with a digital short so write all Thursday [and] Thursday night, don't sleep, get up, shoot Friday, edit all night Friday night and into Saturday," he detailed. This brutal routine lasted for seven years.

Samberg's first breaking point came when Schaffer and Taccone left SNL to pursue directing, leaving him to manage the digital shorts mostly solo. "I was basically left in charge of making the shorts, which I never pretended like I could do without them," Samberg said.

Even though he worked with other talented writers and directors, the absence of his partners made the process challenging and less fulfilling. Seeking advice from former SNL alums like Amy Poehler helped Samberg realize that a healthier work-life balance was possible outside of SNL. Poehler assured him that sitcoms had a much more manageable schedule.

Despite the show's desire to keep him, Samberg felt it was imperative to prioritize his mental and physical health. "I think to get back to a feeling of like mental and physical health, I have to do it," he stressed.

Upon leaving "SNL" in 2012, Samberg achieved what many only dream of. He starred in the hit series "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" for eight seasons, worked again with The Lonely Island on the film "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping", and more recently, made waves with the film "Palm Springs", which set a Sundance Film Festival record.

His fondness for "SNL" remains evident, as he continues to reflect on his time there with nostalgia through various platforms, including a podcast revisiting every digital short they created.

Although leaving "SNL" was a difficult decision, it allowed Samberg to transition into new opportunities while fostering a healthier lifestyle. "It's all I wanted to do. I got to be on SNL. It went way better than I expected," he shared with Hart. Samberg's story underscores the importance of prioritizing health and well-being, even in the pursuit of one's dreams.